Caen, France

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Caen ("kehn") is a city of about 117,000 people (including 30,000 students) in the Lower Normandy region of France. It is located 238km (148 miles) northwest of Paris and 119km (74 miles) southeast of Cherbourg. In the mid-11th century, Caen became the preferred residence of William the Conquerer and Queen Matilda, and the beautiful twin abbeys they founded still remain, along with eight old churches. The survival of these landmarks is remarkable, given that three-quarters of the city - totalling 10,000 buildings - was destroyed during the 1944 invasion of Normandy. Thus today's Caen today is essentially modern, with broad avenues, new apartment buildings, and traffic congestion. A major rail and ferry junction, Caen makes a good base for exploring the region of Normandy.